Journalist María del Pilar Aguilar handcuffed herself to a hospital in protest against the delay in her husband's surgery

Colombian journalist María del Pilar Aguilar handcuffed herself to the door of the Universidad del Valle Hospital in Cali on October 5, 2026, to protest the delay in her husband’s surgery. The family had been waiting for seven months for the procedure to be scheduled, although it had been medically approved.

Aguilar, director of the Hoy Noticias publication, said in a video shared on social media that she was protesting as a citizen, not as a journalist. She called on authorities to investigate the situation and announced that she would not leave the hospital until the request was resolved.

The first authorization for the surgery had been issued in March, but expired without the procedure being scheduled. In July, the family obtained a new approval, but the surgery continued to be postponed.

The journalist’s husband, who had previously undergone open-heart surgery, needed a procedure to treat thyroid cancer. After the protest, the hospital admitted him and scheduled the surgery. HUV representatives clarified that the procedure was not cardiac, but oncological.